[Asia Exclusive] National Police Chief: "Global Policing, but Backward Prevention... Legal Authority Needed for Proactive Response"

To Prevent Stalking and Child Abuse,
Legal Amendments Needed to Allow Preemptive Separation

Regarding Concerns Over Abuse of Public Authority Raised by Some,
"Recent Cases Show Passive Response Is the Problem,
We Want to Ask If There Was Any Abuse Issue"

Social Controversy Over Installation of Barricades in Gwanghwamun,
"We Had Many Concerns but It Was an Inevitable Choice"

Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 27th.

[Interview = Asia Economy Shin Beom-su, Head of Social Affairs Department, Organized by Lee Gwan-ju, Reporter, Photo by Moon Ho-nam, Photographer] What is the reason for the existence of the police? The representative role of the police as thought by ordinary citizens is likely to be 'apprehending criminals.' When an incident occurs, the police promptly respond, arrest the criminal, and punish them through thorough investigation. Social outrage arises when the police's initial response is flawed and exacerbates the damage, reflecting the public's expectations for this fundamental role.

Next is maintaining public order. This includes preparing for potential emergencies during large-scale rallies and demonstrations or managing traffic effectively to ensure smooth flow. This has been a continuous activity throughout the 100-year history of the Korean police, which began as the Gyeongmuguk of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in 1919, with both bright and dark moments.

Now, entering a new century, the police stand at a historic turning point. For the first time in police history, they will have full investigative authority, and structural changes such as the introduction of the autonomous police system are imminent. Consequently, the reason for the police's existence is inevitably changing. The new paradigm proposed by Commissioner General Kim Chang-ryong, who took office during this great upheaval, is 'preventive policing.' This means transforming the police role into one that proactively identifies and eliminates crime factors through preventive activities. We met Commissioner Kim, who took office on July 24 and marked his 100th day in office on October 31, at the National Police Agency building in Migeun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 27th of last month. Commissioner Kim candidly shared his thoughts since taking office and the reasons for emphasizing preventive policing.

"Let's Shift the Core of Police Activities to Prevention"

'Preventive policing' could be called the defining phrase of Commissioner Kim. From his inaugural speech to the Police Day ceremony, his remarks at the National Assembly audit, and his speech at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference attended by police officials worldwide, the message of 'prevention' has never been absent. Why does Commissioner Kim emphasize preventive policing more than any previous police chief?

"In the past, the police's role ended with catching criminals. There was a shift to emphasize victim protection, but that too was reactive. However, life, body, property, and human rights are extremely difficult to restore once violated or lost. Major disasters and crimes always have warning signs. Meticulously identifying and removing or minimizing these risk factors will be the core mission of the police going forward."

Consider the 'Jinju Apartment Arson Murder Case' by Ahn In-deuk. Each individual incident of Ahn's disturbances and disputes before the event might have seemed trivial. However, if these had been comprehensively reviewed, they could have been seen as highly risky behaviors, and preventive measures might have been possible, Commissioner Kim suggested. In this context, the police's ongoing initiatives such as 'community safety patrols and flexible patrols,' criminal investigators' checks of high-risk areas, and intelligence police's collection of information threatening public safety are all parts of Kim Chang-ryong's preventive policing policy aimed at identifying and eliminating risk factors in advance. The global standard for public safety is also shifting toward prevention. This is why police forces worldwide resonated with Commissioner Kim's IACP speech advocating changing the police role from 'crime fighter' to 'problem solver.'

Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 27th.

"World-Class Public Order Maintenance... But Much Progress Needed in Prevention"

Commissioner Kim frequently mentioned phrases like 'in advanced countries' or 'in the case of advanced countries' when explaining preventive policing. While it is well known that Korea's public safety level is world-class, when asked why he downplays it himself, he had a clear reason.

"The police's role in investigation and arrest is indeed world-class. However, when it comes to proactive and preventive legal systems, the reality is that we are still a developing country."

The reason Commissioner Kim thinks this way is clear: the laws and systems supporting proactive policing are not properly established. A prime example is investigative authority. Commissioner Kim said, "The police have effectively conducted investigations only under the prosecution's direction," adding, "South Korea is the only country in the world where the police lack independent investigative authority."

When a dangerous situation is imminent but no accident has occurred, the police inevitably face a conflict between 'overreaction' and 'preventive action.' There is a lack of institutional systems to regulate this. A representative example is the 'Stalking Punishment Act.' Commissioner Kim emphasized, "A law must be enacted that grants the police preventive authority to separate perpetrators and victims in cases where stalking crimes are strongly anticipated, issue warnings, and impose restrictions."

The police are currently pushing for the enactment and revision of ten laws, including the Stalking Punishment Act, Domestic Violence Punishment Act, Child Abuse Punishment Act, Minor Offenses Punishment Act, Missing Children Act, Missing Adults Search Act, Crime Prevention Foundation Act, Mental Health Welfare Act, Public Safety Industry Promotion Act, and Personal Information Protection Act. For example, the Domestic Violence Punishment Act aims to change the temporary measure requirement from 'risk of reoffense' to 'risk of occurrence,' allowing the police to intervene more proactively with legal authority.

Regarding concerns about 'abuse of public authority' raised by some, Commissioner Kim did not hide his discomfort. He said, "In recent problematic cases, it was mostly passive responses that were the issue, not abuse." He cited the recent public outrage over the 'Yangcheon Infant Death Case,' where despite three reports of child abuse, a 16-month-old girl died. Commissioner Kim explained, "Even if child abuse is suspected, if the family strongly protests, the police officer has no choice but to step back. Without legal backing to ensure no disadvantage to their status for proactive and preventive police actions, hesitation is inevitable."

He also stressed that public awareness and political demands are essential for preventive policing. He said, "If the police expand their scope without public consensus, criticism arises that they are infringing on human rights unnecessarily. Since the police's current demands are for the peaceful daily lives of citizens, the public must demand the importance of preventive policing for legal amendments to be possible."

"Gwanghwamun Barricades: Much Deliberation, But an Inevitable Choice"

After taking office, Commissioner Kim was troubled by consecutive natural disasters such as heavy rains and typhoons, and the COVID-19 pandemic was another critical issue to address. He also clashed with the Ministry of Justice over the presidential decree on investigative authority adjustment. Among these, the most controversial was the Gwanghwamun barricades installed to respond to the National Foundation Day (Gaecheonjeol) rally. On October 3, the police deployed about 500 police buses from Gwanghwamun Plaza to City Hall Plaza to block protesters' entry. This strong response was introduced after the conservative group's August 15 rally led to uncontrollable COVID-19 spread. However, the police had to endure criticism for infringing on the freedom of assembly and demonstration.

Was the barricade the only option? Commissioner Kim confessed, "There was a lot of deliberation." He emphasized it was a desperate measure to minimize contact between citizens and between citizens and police during the epidemic, asking for understanding that it was an unavoidable choice driven by the necessity to prevent the epidemic and the crisis awareness that a repeat of the August 15 rally could cause uncontrollable problems.

Regardless of social controversy, it is clear that Commissioner Kim's value system, centered on prevention, permeated his difficult decision to erect the barricades. He said, "Since taking office, I have emphasized three things: preventive policing, fair law enforcement, and responsibility. If we show sincerity in understanding the urgent feelings of citizens as if they were family, friends, or neighbors and strive to solve problems, we will gain recognition and empathy. Accumulating this will lead to the police being respected and loved."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.